Why I love Jacques Brel

"I've got the collected works of Brel upstairs, all his lyrics – it's a big tome. When you read them, they're like poems, in the clarity of their ideas, the way they're expressed, the wit and cynicism, the plays on words. They can move you even without the music, although the music adds layer upon layer of emotion. Some of the songs are overwhelmingly romantic; at other times, he's just messing about, experimenting with feelings and words. I see him above all as a poet who wrote music and could sing with phenomenal passion. You can find lots of film of him on YouTube – it's like he's living the song, totally possessed by it. He wasn't a good-looking bloke – odd teeth, a face that didn't quite work, but on stage he was mesmeric. The records are great, but you have to see him perform live to get a sense of what a genius he was."
 Alastair Campbell on Jacques Brel